


Love Me Like You Do

by CrypticCravings (Sekaiinokoi)



Series: Adrinette Month 2017 [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Has a Crush on Marinette, Adrinette Month, Baking, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kisses, Little plot, Modeling, Post Reveal, Rainy Days, Reveal, Short Chapters, like mostly fluff, makeout sessions, unedited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-21 12:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9549533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sekaiinokoi/pseuds/CrypticCravings
Summary: A story formed out of some of the prompts from Adrinette Month 2017.After the big reveal, Adrien and Marinette battle with their feelings for one another. Finally, their feelings come together in harmony and the duo faces the greatest adventure in life with each other by their side.





	1. Life Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning, from the Adrinette Month 2017 prompt You Saved Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow Adrinette month was eight months ago and I'm writing this now??  
> Actually, I had mad writers block for my Big Bang piece, and I'm looking for a fluffy way to work that out. I hope you enjoy!  
> This chapter is named after Street Fight by Smallpools and inspired by this video.  
> http://clairelutra.tumblr.com/post/153780479398/there-will-never-be-enough-ladynoir-in-this-world

Marinette was in the park when she heard the akuma. Fortunately she was able to slip away from her friends quickly enough.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to actually find a place to transform.

Marinette was about to dive behind a half wall when dense greenery overtook her path, forcing her to change directions.

Even more unfortunately, there was no sign of Cat Noir anywhere.

Sighing in defeat, Marinette took off in the direction of the Akuma, silently praying that she would find a place to transform along the way.

Hawkmoth's latest villain cackled in the distance, climbing the Eiffel Tower in a web of vines and cursing the city of Paris and it's polluting ways.

Fortunately, most of the civillians were running away from the Akuma, and barely noticed her as she slipped into a back alley.

Marinette was just about to call for Tikki when a leather clad figure crashed into the wall at the back of the alley.

Marinette winced at the sound of the impact of Cat Noir's body against the stone. She knew, of course, that their suits absorbed most of the shock of impact, but she still knew that had to sting.

Cat Noir slid to the ground and rubbed the back of his head. "That's going to leave a mark."

"Cat Noir!" Marinette called, "are you okay?" She sprinted over to her fellow hero and held a hand out to help him to his feet.

He took her hand with a thankful smile and got to his feet. "Nothing to worry about," he said, "Nightshade over here just seems to have a thorn in her side over some environmental issues. Not that I blame her, but she should really _leave_ violence out of it."

Marinette smirked. If he was feeling well enough to make jokes, he wasn't too badly banged up.

Cat Noir put a hand on her shoulder and stepped past her. He pushed her out of the alley and towards the door of a nearby café, civilians darting past them. "But you should really take cover before this gets worse. Ladybug and I can handle this prickly plant."

Marinette was about to agree so that she could transform, but a streak of green caught her attention from her peripheral vision. "Cat Noir, look out!"

Without thinking, or considering where and who she was, she grabbed Cat's arm, shoved her partner behind her and grabbed the lid to a nearby trash can just in time to shield them both from a heavy stream of thorny vines.

The vines hit the lid with an incredible force, but instinct took over and Marinette stood her ground. As the plants hit the lid, they managed to push her back a few inches, but that was all they could get out of her. She used the metal top to redirect the vines into the alley way where they tangled with garbage bags and fell limply to the street.

When it was clear that this particular attack was over, Marinette dropped the lid and returned her attention to Cat.

"That was close." She said with a smile.

She expected him to make some kind of witty comeback, but all she got was a slack jawed stare.

"Cat Noir?" Marinette tilted her head to the side.

Suddenly, what Marinette had just done came rushing to the front of her mind and she remembered that she was not Ladybug at the moment. She, a civilian, had just shoved Cat Noir behind a trashcan shield.

He seemed to shake himself out of his daze before she did, shoving her through the door of the café before Nightshade reached them herself. He gave her a stern warning about staying safe before jumping back into action.

Marinette ducked into the back room of the café while the workers were distracted, still reeling from what she'd just done. She opened her purse and Tikki fluttered out.

"That was very brave of you, Marinette," Tikki praised.

She only wished she could agree. "It was stupid. I shouldn't have gotten involved, at least not as Marinette." She shook her head, still unable to get the look on Cat Noir's face out of her mind. "Either way, we still have a baddie to catch. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Nightshade was taken down rather quickly once Ladybug arrived on the scene. The local gardener was returned to normal and made her way back to her shop before the reporters descended. Rather than begging Ladybug for an interview like they typically did, though, they went straight for Cat Noir. It wasn't that they didn't typically speak to Cat, but he tended to stay out of that particular spotlight as much as possible. He always said something about being a little intimidated by interviews--at which point Ladybug always pointed out the fact that he could face off with dinosaurs and giant rock monsters, but apparently reporters were the really scary ones. Typically Cat helped the recently de-evilized civilian regain their bearings and get back on with their lives while Ladybug handled the press.

Today, though, he was totally mobbed with attention.

"Cat Noir, who was that civilian girl that saved you from Nightshade?"

"Cat Noir, what was her name?"

"Cat Noir, was that your secret girlfriend you came out of the alley with?"

"Cat Noir, how does it feel to be the one who was saved for once?"

"Cat Noir--"

"Cat Noir--"

"Cat Noir--"

Finally Ladybug had had enough. She shooed the reporters off long enough for the two of them to escape to a nearby rooftop. Their Miraculouses each gave their second warning chimes.

"Are you okay, Cat? That was a little invasive…" Ladybug trailed off when she noticed Cat Noir staring at her so intensely, like he was studying her.

He realized she stopped talking and snapped out of his stupor. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

Ladybug raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press the issue.

Instead, they bid each other goodnight and took off towards their respective homes, putting the incident out of their minds for the afternoon.

 

 

* * *

At least, Ladybug did.

Adrien, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about it.

He'd known Marinette for four years now. They'd shared friends and classes long enough to grow rather close in spite of their disastrous meeting in _college_. Adrien liked to think that he knew Marinette pretty well. He definitely knew that she was a spitfire who never backed down in the face of adversity.

But he had never seen the side of her that she'd shown Cat Noir that afternoon before.

It was like she didn't even have to think. She just noticed danger and her first instinct was to protect him? That was literally his job!

Not that he felt at all emasculated by the incident. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He was proud of his friend, and her killer instincts.

There was one thing that bothered him, though.

There had been something so familiar to him about the look in Marinette's eyes after she'd taken down the vines.  It was enough to trigger an inkling of suspicion in the back of his mind. Rationally, he knew he should just let it go.

Then again, Adrien hadn't always been the most rational person when it came to matters of the heart.

* * *

The video of Marinette "saving" Cat Noir had gone viral. Alya's blog was booming--because of course she'd gotten her hands on exclusive rights to the original footage of the save. News outlets had been hounding her for days about interviews, and she turned all of them down. There was no reason to make this into a bigger thing than it was.

The only "Interview" she gave was telling Alya what happened over their lunch break at school. Alya, Nino, and Adrien sat around her at their usual picnic table at the side of their Lycee, all of them paying rapt attention as she tried to play along and dramatize the details for them.

"…And that's when I saw the vines coming right at us--right at Cat Noir!" She exclaimed with practiced enthusiasm.

"So why did you grab the shield?" Alya asked in her reporter voice.

"I…didn't really think about it. I just knew that if I didn't do something, Cat Noir would have gotten hurt. He already jumps in front of Ladybug enough. I wasn't about to stand by and watch him get hurt while trying to get me out of the way."

"But what if you'd gotten hurt, Marinette?" Adrien asked, "don't Ladybug and Cat Noir have some kind of superpowers to protect them? All you had was a tin lid."

"I wasn't going to get hurt. I--" Marinette nearly slipped and said that she's dealt with this type of things a thousand times, but managed to catch herself. "I guess my adrenaline took over."

Adrien wanted to press further. Sure there was merit to the fight or flight argument, but Marinette was already predisposed to clumsiness and tripping over air would be the last person to become more coordinated from a random rush of adrenaline. Adrenaline rushes didn't suddenly give you the ability to stare evil in the face and fight them off with a metal trashcan.

Marinette turned her head to address a question Nino had asked, but that he didn't quite catch. A flash of burgundy-black on her earlobes caught his eye, and he was drawn to that.

Adrien could think of a couple of other things that could give a person that ability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally doing this fic right, which means I'm taking down the other completed chapters and posting in order, so if you want to read a specific chapter, it's not gone forever! I promise! It will be back!


	2. Spring Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt, "The Reveal" from the now year old Adrinette Month 2017 prompt list.  
> I swear this fic hasn't been forgotten.   
> Named after Spring Day by BTS.

Adrien couldn't stop staring. He knew it was a problem, and she was probably totally freaked out, but he could not stop looking at her.

Ever since he'd begun to suspect that Marinette might be Ladybug, he hadn't been able to stop studying her, from her appearance to her quirks and habits, even her manner of speech, he was drawing comparisons in his mind.

The sight of Marinette standing before him with a thin metal lid drawn up as a shield was something he couldn't shake, either. Her stance had been far from amateur, and those vines had been coming at him with an impressive force. A normal girl wouldn’t have been able to hold them off so well, even if that girl carried heavy sacks of flour every day.

Maybe he was looking too deeply into this.

Yet, he couldn’t help finding similarities between the two women. Marinette had been a strong person the entire time he'd known her, never afraid to stand up to authority, or even her friends when she needed to. Whenever she was in the wrong, she admitted her mistakes and worked to make amends. She was brave, strong, kind, funny, witty, and all of the same words he would use to describe Marinette were ones he would also use to describe Ladybug.

Adrien was trying hard not to be creepy, but he had to get a good look at her eyes. He knew Marinette had light eyes, but he'd never paid enough attention to catch what color they were exactly. If he could just look into her eyes, he was sure he would know.

"This is stupid," Plagg complained in the men's bathroom. "You think that just by looking into her eyes you'll recognize her? You've been in the same class with her for years. You see her every day. Shouldn't you have noticed before now?"

"You don't get it, Plagg," Adrien said, trying to formulate his plan, "that was before I knew what I know."

"You don't know anything, though."

Adrien glared at the kwami. "Before my hunch, then."

Plagg complained loudly once again before Adrien shoved him into his bag. Class was starting, and Adrien had some things that needed confirming.

* * *

 

Marinette groaned and face planted on her desk. There had been another Akuma again yesterday, and frankly she was still exhausted.

Cat Noir had been off the whole fight. It wasn't that his combat skills were off or anything. He took the villain down easily enough as usual, but he hadn't joked around with her as much as he typically would. He kept staring at her, too. It was definitely weird. Ladybug was going to ask him about it, but the incessant beeping of their miraculouses sent them running for shelter before she had the chance.

Of course, Alya was still obsessed with the video of Marinette saving Cat Noir, and she really wished her best friend would move on to something else.

And now, Adrien was being weird. They'd been classmates for four years now, and actually gotten to be good friends, once she was able to form sentences around him. For the past few days, though, he was the one acting strangely, not her. He asked strange questions, like just this morning he'd asked what her favorite spot in the city was, and how she felt about heights. As she answered, he would listen so intently, someone would have thought she was telling him the secret to ending world hunger. Then, he'd just nod as if her answers were exactly what he'd expected.

Then, when they were supposed to be focusing on their literature lecture, she'd caught him staring at her profile from the corner of her eye.

Not that she minded him looking at her, she just wanted to know what was up.

The strangest thing was at lunch one afternoon. As usual, a group of them had met up in the courtyard with snacks and sandwiches, joking around and laughing. Marinette was giggling over something Ivan had said when suddenly Adrien was right in her personal space. Not so much that anyone else really noticed, but just enough to pull all of Marinette's attention. She would have asked him what was going on, but he was staring into her eyes so intently that she found herself unable to even react.

And as suddenly as he was there, he was gone again, leaving Marinette confused and speechless.   
She consulted Tikki about it after school.

"I don't know, maybe he's freaked out over that video. But he seemed fine a few days ago." She said.

Tikki hummed thoughtfully. "I didn't think Adrien was the type to be intimidated by strong women."

"Neither did I. After all, you have to have a thick skin to put up with Chloe for so long." She tapped her pen against her cheek.

"Maybe he suspects that you're Ladybug." Tikki suggested.

Marinette stared at the Kwami for a moment before bursting out laughing. "There's no way that's it. After all, even Alya hasn't put things together, and she's been on my tail since day one."

Tikki shrugged her little shoulders. "Just a thought."

"Nah, it's gotta be something else. But what?"

Marinette worried over that dilemma well into the evening, right up until it was time for her to confront another blonde boy about his odd behavior.

* * *

 

Cat Noir was early for patrol. A good thirty minutes early, giving him plenty of time to stew in his findings.

Marinette was definitely on to him, but he was on to her, as well. And it was finally time to lay all of his cards on the table.

He'd spent several days gathering evidence, asking questions, and retracing every memory of every akuma he and Ladybug had ever fought.

There wasn't a doubt left in his mind that Marinette was Ladybug, especially not after seeing the deep, mesmerizing blue color in Marinette's eyes earlier that afternoon.

For a short while, Adrien had considered keeping his findings to himself, just basking in the knowledge that his Lady was also one of his closest friends, but he knew that wasn't fair of him. After all, she hadn't wanted them to reveal themselves to one another until the Hawkmoth issue was taken care of. Keeping this from her would be dishonest.

So he needed to come clean.   
She might be mad, of course. He knew that was a possibility going into this. But he would deal with that.

At first, he'd just been excited, plunging head first into an investigation without really considering the consequences. Now that he knew, though, he understood that there was a very real risk if he didn't tell her what he knew. He'd been used by Akuma more than once, and there was a big chance that it may happen again. If he didn’t come clean with Ladybug, and tell her that he knew who she was, it could be a major weakness in the future.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done this…" he murmured to himself, somewhat wishing Plagg was there to talk him through this, or even just to mock him. Hell, at this point, he'd take the pest begging for cheese over the oppressive silence on this rooftop. It left him way too much space to worry.

He alternated between fidgeting, pacing, and leaning pensively on his staff as the minutes ticked on and his mind raced.

Hearing the deft footfalls of Ladybug's landing was half relief, and half trigger. Part of him wanted to jump right out of his skin with nerves, while the other half was thankful that his worrying would finally come to an end.

A warm, gloved hand landed on his shoulder as Ladybug came to sit next to him at the edge of the building.

"Hey there, Kitty Cat," she said cheerfully.

Cat Noir glanced at her and nearly choked.  He was too nervous, but finding himself face to face with those bluebell eyes was almost too much to handle now that he knew the girl under the mask was just as amazing as when she wore it.

"What's the matter?" She asked when he didn’t respond, "Cat got your tongue?"

Adrien should have laughed, or made a pun in return, or done _literally anything_ but what he did next.

"I think I know who you are!" He blurted out.

Instant regret.

 _What is tact, anyway,_ he wondered.  No lead in, no gentle introduction, nope he just dropped it all on her at once.

Ladybug simply gaped at him, clearly taken aback by his sudden outburst. "Y-you," She said, blinking rapidly. Her eyes were huge, and she couldn't form a clear sentence. "What--I, I mean. You what?"

"I think I know who you are," he repeated, more slowly this time. "Under the mask, I mean."

Ladybug sank to her knees next to Cat Noir, her strength leaving her in an instant. "What…gave me away? Do you think Hawkmoth knows?"

Cat Noir shook his head. "If he knew already, I'm sure we would have already seen the consequences of it." He was quiet for a moment, giving her space to process. "It was Nightshade," he admitted. "That's when I started to suspect, at least. And then, I saw you every day at school, and things started coming together so quickly after that, and I'll admit, I was looking to confirm my suspicions--"

"Wait," Ladybug cut in, "Every day at school? We know each other outside of the mask?"

Cat looked at Ladybug out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge her reaction to that revelation. Was them knowing one another a good thing or a bad thing in her eyes? Suddenly this whole thing felt like a horrible idea. "I don't know if I should say anything else." Cat's ears drooped a little bit, and he found he couldn't quite look her in the eye anymore. "I don't want to put you into a situation you don't want to be in. Just because I know who you are doesn't mean that you're ready to know who I am. And I'm okay with that--"

"Woah! Woah! Who said I don't want to know?" She asked, hand suddenly coming to his shoulder.

Cat's ears twitched as he lifted his head to meet her eyes. 

"I've always wanted to know, _Chaton_. You're one of my best friends. I trust you more than anyone. It was just safer for us to keep our identities a secret, even from each other." She gave him a small smile and a squeeze on the shoulder. "But if you already figured out who I am by seeing me every day at school, maybe it's only fair that I get to see you, too? If you're okay with that, I mean."

Cat sputtered for a moment, eyes wide. "Wha--Of, I mean, yes! I'm-I'm more than okay with that." He put a hand on her shoulder. "When I figured out who you are, I was really happy. You've always been one of my best friends, with and without the mask."

A flush rose to Ladybug's face as the implications of his words sank in. There were only a few people in her life that would talk about her that way. Ladybug turned away, worried if she kept looking at him shw would get her hopes up. Not that it really mattered, considering their current topic of conversation.

"So, should we just do this?" She asked, suddenly feeling jittery. "I mean, you've already found me out, so…"

Cat Noir grinned. "You mean, like right now?"

Ladybug still wouldn't meet his gaze directly, her cheeks colored pinks, hands clenched in her lap, and shoulders hunched. Cat Noir could really see Marinette in her, then more than ever.

"If you're okay with that, that is." He continued, her body language giving him pause.

He watched her grin grow slightly, and felt his own brighten in kind.

"I'm okay with it. " She said.

"Then, should we…"He started slowly.

"We should find some cover first."

"Oh, yeah, for sure." He jumped to his feet.

Ladybug stood as well, dusting off her suit as she rose to hide the shaking in her hands. _He already knows,_ she reminded herself, _so there's nothing to be nervous about._

Cat Noir scanned the surrounding rooftops until he spotted a place a couple of blocks away that would be obscured by a couple of well-placed walls. They would be well hidden there. "Over there," he pointed out.   
Ladybug nodded, jumping from foot to foot in an attempt to dispel the rush of nervous energy that had filled her from head to toe. "I'll meet you over there."

She grabbed her yoyo and flung it at the next building. She swung over streets and rooftops until she reached the particular rooftop Cat had pointed out, landing on shaking legs. There were a couple of sunchairs sitting out and some string lights on the walls of surrounding buildings--fortunately no windows in sight. Ladybug bent down with quivering hands and knocking knees to plug in the string lights, illuminating the small alcove.

She heard heavy, steel toed boots land behind her as her legs gave out. She fell back into the sun chair.

Cat Noir came to sit in the second chair, facing away from her.

It was a quiet night. Sitting together, not looking at one another, the silence was heavy, broken only by the sound of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees and the traffic in the streets below. Cat Noir gripped his knees, his toe tapping against the concrete floor.

Ladybug rubbed her arms, as if cold despite the warm evening.

"We don't have to do this, you know." Cat reminded her.

"I want to," Ladybug murmured.

She turned around to look at him and came face to face with a pair of shimmering green eyes.

"You're sure?"

Ladybug smiled. _Don't get your hopes up. Don't have expectations. He's still your cat, no matter who else he is._ "I'm positive." A surge of confidence went through her as she tried not to recognize the look in those green eyes. "I'm ready."

Cat Noir grinned. "We do it together?"

"Together." She agreed.

They stood from their chairs and came to meet in the middle.

Ladybug held out her hand, which Cat Noir took readily. "On three?" She suggested.

He nodded.

They counted together, eyes closed, hand in hand.

"One.

     Two.

          Three."

They called off their transformations, and after a small breath, opened their eyes.

The first thing Marinette saw as the magic cleared was Adrien Agreste smiling warmly down at her.

A torrent of emotions rushed through her, from shock to anxiety, but the most potent emotion that brought a soft smile to her face and tears to her eyes was relief. Relief and joy.

Relief that her niggling suspicion had been right, and joy that one of her best friends was her partner. He was the one that was always by her side, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Marinette blinked back her tears and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his arms hesitantly return her embrace.

"I'm glad it's you." She said quietly.

Adrien hoped she couldn't hear the way his heart was pounding as he gently rubbed circles on her back. "And I'm glad it's you."


	3. Let It Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on Adrinette Month 2017's prompts Snow Day and Study Together.  
> Named for the song Let it Snow by Dean Fujioka.

It had been several months since the incident with Nightshade when Marinette had saved Cat Noir from those poisonous vines, and they'd subsequently revealed themselves to one another.

They'd always been friends, in and out of the suit, but since the reveal they'd been closer than ever. Adrien and Marinette were permanent fixtures in each other's lives, and could be found together nearly at all times.

It was nearly winter break, and Adrien found himself, as he often did, lying on Marinette's chaise lounge, reading their history textbook with his legs hanging over the end. They had a midterm essay due before winter vacation, but neither of them had made much progress studying alone.

Thus, Adrien came over after classes to attempt to work on homework together. Marinette's parents had set the pair up with plenty of snacks, as usual. They had been holed up in Marinette's room ever since, making little progress as a sudden downpour of snow blanketed their city in white.

Marinette groaned, pushing away from her computer. There were exactly three sentences on her screen, and she felt like she'd been sitting there for days. Instead of straining her eyes with more screen time, she turned her attention to the photos on her wall. Adrien's photoshoots and magazine cut outs had long ago been replaced by photos of the two of them together, and with friends or classmates, and ones she had taken of him herself. The frame on her desk now held a photo of the two of them Alya had taken while planning Nino's last birthday. They had been arguing over who knew his favorite song best. Marinette swore it was one he'd been listening to since their first year of _college_ , but Adrien claimed it must be the one he'd had on every playlist for the past month. When they were both proven wrong by Alya presenting them a text from Nino himself, saying that it was actually the first song he and Alya listened to in the zoo the day the two of them started dating, Adrien had slumped over Marinette in defeat, pouting with his arms draped around her neck.

Marinette had laughed hysterically at his demeanor, and Alya had snapped the photo. It was one of Marinette's favorites, much to Adrien's dismay. She snagged a cookie from the plate on her desk, grinning at the memory.

Adrien dropped the book to the floor with a dull thud behind her, dropping his head back to the chaise. "Is this pointless?"

"It definitely feels that way." Marinette rose to her feet, taking the plate of cookies with her to her partner's drooping form. "But I find that sugar tends to help with that feeling."

Adrien lifted his arm from where it was draped over his eyes and grinned. He reached for a chocolate chip cookie. "You're right about that."

Marinette sat with her back against the chaise, the cookies on the floor next to her, and stared at the snow in the window, coming down in heavy lumps.

"Do you think we should cancel patrol tonight?" She mused. The rooftops would be icy, which would make jumping between them difficult.

"Paris will survive without its loyal guardians for a night." Adrien said, watching the window over her shoulder and nibbling his cookie.

They were quiet for a moment, just watching the snowfall.

Adrien's eyelids grew heavy, and he realized just how much he'd come to think of Marinette's room as home over the past few months. If it were someone else, he might be afraid of getting so close. But this was Marinette. It was his partner, his Lady. It was scary sometimes how much he trusted her. Sometimes, it hit him just how big of a space she occupied in his heart. Certainly, that space represented more than just friendship. Nino had mentioned more than once that the two of them should just give up their pretenses and just date already. And goodness, sometimes Adrien's want to embrace her tempted him to throw caution to the wind and confess his undying love for her, like he'd tried to do so many times when they were younger, but he refrained. It was dangerous enough that the two of them had revealed their identities to one another. It would be something else entirely for the protectors of Paris to get caught up in a relationship. So he told himself that he was happy with the way things were, even while his heart yearned for more.

Adrien was nearly asleep on the chaise when a loud _thonk_ jarred him out of his trance. Marinette jolted upright, already calling for Tikki when Adrien noticed a lump of snow sliding down the glass of Marinette's window.

"Hold up, Bugaboo, I don't think it's an akuma." Adrien stretched his arms over his head and hoisted himself up to his feet. He approached the window and unlatched the lock.

Marinette climbed partway up the stairs to her loft in order to look over his shoulder as he pushed open the window.

"See, I told you they'd be together!" Alya said, jabbing Nino in the side.

"Hey, you two," Nino shouted, casually tossing another snowball up in the air, catching it with ease. "Stop making out and get down here! I challenge you two to a snow ball war!"

Marinette ignored the flush in her cheeks at Nino's comment and put a hand on Adrien's shoulder to balance as she leaned over him. "You wanna go, Lahiffe?" She shouted, "because we can go!"

Adrien, for his part, was trying to control his pulse. Marinette's hair brushed right against his ear as she leaned towards the window. He could barely hear Alya's taunting reply over the way the blood rushed in his ears. He couldn't focus on anything, really, until Marinette's scent finally retreated after her as she jumped down from the stairs.

"Let's go, _chaton_. We've got to kick some butt," she said, winding a scarf around her neck.

He locked the window and looked for his jacket, hoping she didn't notice the dopey grin on his face.

* * *

 

Downstairs, Nino and Alya already had a battle plan. They weren't about to let the wonder duo defeat them. Not after the dodge ball incident.

Unfortunately for them, Adrien and Marinette were somehow two steps ahead of them. Somehow, they'd missed seeing their best friends coming out of the bakery, and before they knew what hit them, Marinette and Adrien were pelting them with snowballs.

The foursome chased each other down the street to the park where the war really got started. For what felt like hours, they yelled and laughed and flung snow at one another until they were ready to collapse.

Alya finally called a truce when the sun hung low on the horizon. For once, the four of them were evenly matched. Besides, the water from the snow had soaked into their gloves, leaving their fingers numb and half frozen. Marinette shoved the wet gloves into her pockets and breathed directly onto her fingers, hoping to defrost them. Alya had been smart and brought a spare pair, and Nino was some kind of monster who's hands never got cold.

Adrien tugged at his scarf, loosening it just enough. He threw his arm around Marinette's shoulder, simultaneously wrapping his scarf around them both. "Need some help warming up, My Lady?"

Marinette jumped as Adrien's arms surrounded her.

Well, she was certainly warm now.

He was so close to her. She could feel his breath hot against her face, his cheek against hers, his arms holding her close, and she didn’t even feel the cold anymore.

The flash of Alya's smart phone camera drew their attention.

"Get a room, you dorks!" She said.

The two were used to the teasing by now. Once, Adrien would have jumped away at Alya's insinuation, would have been concerned about both his Lady's embarrassment and his own. Now, they were both used to it. They couldn't expect people on the outside to understand their bond. Sure, he was still helplessly in love with the flushing girl in his arms, but it didn't mean he had to act on it. In that moment, he was just happy platonically snuggling her the way they were.

Nino shivered as the cold finally penetrated his layers. "Guys, maybe we should call it a day before we all get frost bite."

Adrien's arms tightened against Marinette, bracing against a harsh wind.

Marinette's small, bare hands came up to his arms. "Let's go back to the bakery. _Maman_ has some hot chocolate on the stove."

"Oh, thank goodness." Nino sighed.

"Last one there has frozen toes!" Alya shouted with a childish giggle. She took off for the bakery with Nino close on her heels, leaving Marinette and Adrien In the park behind them.

Those two, for their part, were reluctant to move, despite the chill in the air.

"I guess we should follow them," Adrien said, withdrawing his arms.

"I guess so," Marinette murmured, feeling the chill where she was already missing Adrien's body heat. She blew on her cold hands again. "What's wrong? You don't want to race me? Scared you'll lose?"

Adrien snorted. "I've beaten you the last three races, and you know it."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

"A little petulant, are we?"

She nudged him in the arm. "Let's just hurry up and get inside before we freeze our whiskers off." She  hurried off ahead of him, rubbing her arms the whole way.

Adrien grinned, a satisfied warmth blooming in his chest. "I'll follow you anywhere, my Lady."

 


	4. Before Our Spring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Adrinette Month 2017's prompt: Love Confession.  
> Named for Before Our Spring by Jonghyun (May he rest peacefully <3)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9ea5VDQfXg

It had been a stressful week for Marinette and Adrien. They were in their last year of _lycee_ , working on finals, and preparing for a busy summer of work before starting University in the fall. Adrien's father wasn't handling the fact that Adrien planned to move out on his own for University very well. Gabriel was being a bit unbearable, driving Adrien out of the house even faster, and into Tom and Sabine's bakery even more frequently than usual. Though the Dupain-Chengs were thankful for the extra set of hands during the busy hours, they were concerned that he was stretching himself too thin.

On top of everything, Hawkmoth was being especially ruthless lately. Ladybug and Cat Noir weren't sure exactly what changed, but lately their nemesis had been unleashing more akumas than usual.

While Adrien was exhausted and stressed beyond belief, Marinette was just mad. She  was on a short fuse watching her best friend run himself ragged for days on end. By Wednesday afternoon, after Adrien and Chloe argued for a full hour about spending a week over the summer in Martinique  (Adrien said that he needed to work to pad his savings account for the coming semester. Chloe had taken personal offense. Things got ugly very fast.), Marinette had had enough.

Adrien half-dragged himself through the doors of the bakery with a fuming Marinette on his heels. He was about to stop in the bakery to help her parents with some small chores, when Marinette grabbed him by the back of the shirt.

" _Maman, Papa_ , do you mind if we actually go upstairs and rest for a bit?" Marinette asked through gritted teeth.

Tom and Sabine had definitely not been blind to the kids' recent stress levels, and were happy to give them a break if it meant lightening their load for an afternoon. "Take your time, sweetie." Sabine called after them.

Marinette dragged Adrien up the stairs to her room, slamming the trap door behind them.

"You okay, Marinette?" Adrien asked hesitantly, dropping his bookbag next to Marinette's desk.

Marinette spun on her heel, fixing Adrien with a glare. "You," She pointed up at her loft bed. "Nap. Now."

"Um," he chuckled nervously, "are you enforcing a mandatory nap time, now?"

"Yes. You've been on a short temper for days, and you're dead on your feet." Marinette's icy stare softened slightly into a pout, and she crossed her arms petulantly over her chest. "You're not getting enough sleep."

"Neither are you, bug. I've been watching how hard you've been working lately, and you can't be getting to bed much before I have."

"He's right, Marinette," Tikki said, peeking out of Marinette's purse. "You're running yourself ragged."

"When the two of you don't sleep, we don’t get to sleep," Plagg whined from Adrien's shirt pocket. "And you've been at it for weeks. So if one of you is napping, both of you had better be napping."

Hearing the gluttonous Plagg chastise them both for not sleeping rather than just begging for cheese really hit Marinette. She'd been so concerned with getting Adrien to rest and destress, she'd forgotten to take care of herself in the meantime.

Marinette sighed. She took off her purse and opened it fully to look at her kwami. "Maybe you two are right."

Adrien put a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "We've been doing a lot lately. Plagg's right. If you're going to make me nap, you need to nap, too."

"Alright."

Adrien ruffled Marinette's bangs playfully, earning him a frustrated huff. "Good. So you get your butt up into bed. I'll take the chaise. The kwamis can wake us up in a couple of hours."

Marinette brushed past him with a snort and started up the stairs. "You can not get a good nap on that chaise. Believe me, I've tried."

"You underestimate me, My Lady," Adrien flicked his bangs arrogantly. "I can sleep anywhere. Besides, I've made this lounge my home."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's fine when you're falling asleep in the middle of a homework marathon, but it is a sub-par napping location. Your legs are way too long for it, anyway." Marinette hopped onto the landing, letting her legs dangle over the steps. "So why don't you just get your butt up here with me for a real nap?"

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked, not wanting to test any kind of boundaries. Sure, Marinette and Alya shared a bed at sleepovers, but they were girl-friends. Their boundaries were different than girl/guy-friends, no matter how close he and Marinette were. The two of them were in each other's space all the time, but he didn't want to be presumptuous about it.

"Of course. My bed is certifiably the best place for people to sleep together." Marinette always had a way with words, but her foot-in-mouth disease had just taken a drastic down turn. As soon as she realized the double entendre to her words, her entire face boiled. She needed to backtrack, make a joke, or something, but all she could do was gape at her friend, hoping he didn't catch her slip.

Of course, he didn't miss it. His hesitant, somewhat startled look shifted and his mischievous grin grew. "Is it, now?"

Marinette's face screwed up in embarrassment. "Shut up." She scrambled up into her loft the rest of the way and flopped face first onto her bed. She tried to ignore Adrien's burst of laughter at her expense, but felt her mortification burn in her cheeks anyway. "You're the worst! Sleep on the floor for all I care!"

"Aw, but how could I ignore such a lovely invitation from My Lady?" He teased.

Marinette heard him climbing the steps and felt the dip in the mattress as he climbed into bed. She heard the creaking and popping of joints as he settled into her fluffy blankets and pillow topped mattress. "And you were definitely right. Certifiably the best place to sleep."

Marinette turned her head slightly, peeking at the way he seemed to melt into her bed. "I told you."

She threw one of her spare blankets over him, trying to keep from staring at his face. It was in the quiet moments like these that Marinette felt her resolve weaken. She'd vowed to keep her feelings for her partner locked away ever since she found out that Adrien was Cat Noir. It was too much risk, she told herself. But in the quiet spring afternoons where their only refuge was each other, she asked herself if the risk wouldn't be worth it.

Adrien turned on his side, reaching for her cat plush to cradle in his arms. "It's been a while since we've just hung out like this, hasn't it?"

"Don't worry," Marinette chuckled, "This time next week, we'll have more free time than we know what to do with."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Yeah, as long as Hawkmoth doesn't get his panties in even more of a twist and decide that we don't deserve summer vacation."

Marinette shoved her face into the pillow with a groan. "Don't remind me. Can't he just retire already?"

"I wish."

Marinette tensed briefly as she felt a hand land on her shoulder, but relaxed as Adrien rubbed soothing circles on her back. She smiled and leaned into his ministrations, unconsciously sliding closer to him. Her bed wasn't big, so they weren't far from one another to begin with, but between his soothing touches and Marinette's desire to be closer to him, there was barely a centimeter between them.

Before long, their breathing grew slow and deep. Neither of them was quite asleep, but they were definitely close, Adrien's arm lay limp over Marinette's back.

 _If heaven is real,_ Marinette thought, _it can't be much better than this._

Without thinking about it, Marinette nuzzled closer to the cat-boy next to her, seeking his warmth and the sense of security that came with being so close to him. He responded by tucking his arm fully around her and burying a hand in her silky midnight hair.

He sighed as the sweet scent of her lotion filled his nose. There was no more perfect way to relax in the world. As he drifted to sleep, he murmured one last thought softly into her hair. "I love you, Marinette."

And, as if it were the most natural response in the world, Marinette responded, halfway to dream land herself. "…Love you too, Adrien."

When the two of them woke a few hours later, they would wonder if the confession had been a dream, worry they had ruined everything between them from friendship to partnership, and overthink every step they took until they reasoned that it must not have happened at all. But for now, they slept peacefully in the arms of the person they loved more than anyone else in the world.


	5. Shinin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the Adrinette 2017 prompt First Kiss.  
> Named for Shinin' by Jonghyun  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J41qe-TM1DY

This was it.

After so many years of hard work and months of studying for the _bac_ , hundreds of akuma, and ages of friendship, their compulsory education was coming to an end.

Adrien hung around the front of the classroom where the teachers had set up drinks and snacks for the graduating students. He was engaged in what appeared to be a very serious debate with one of the other students.

Meanwhile, Marinette was saying tearful goodbyes to Rose and Julia, whom she had known since grade school and who would be studying abroad for university.

She hated goodbyes. Her only comfort was that this goodbye wouldn’t be forever, just for a few years.

As she made her way around the room, she felt Tikki nudge her from inside of her purse, silently asking if Marinette could sneak her a few snacks from the refreshment table.

Marinette’s eyes were once again drawn to Adrien and she felt like she was back in middle school. That boy was more beautiful than ever. Add onto that the fact that Marinette was about 75% sure she’d accidentally confessed to him in a sleepy stupor earlier that week, and there was no chance of her having a decent conversation with him any time soon.

Ever since that Wednesday afternoon in her loft, Marinette had been awkward around her best friend. She hated it, really, she did. He wasn’t acting like anything had changed, so she was pretty sure that he had either been asleep or it had all been a figment of her imagination. Or maybe he thought it was just a friend love. She wasn’t entirely sure. Either way, he clearly didn’t think anything had changed between them, so there was really no need for her to freak out so much.

Unfortunately, she was freaking out anyway, and no amount of logic had been able to bring her down.

Determined to be normal for once in her life, Marinette knew she had a duty to feed her kwami and made a game plan to get to the refreshments table. She squared her shoulders, put on a brave face, and started forward, ignoring the intrusive image of herself accidentally spilling bright red punch all over Adrien’s white shirt that popped into her head.

When she reached the table, she focused intently on her task at hand instead of the blond model/superhero/amazing human being to her right. She piled a plate full of cookies and candies for her sweet toothed kwami and made a plan to make it back to her desk where she could safely talk to Alya free from the fear of embarrassment.

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien said, his hand landing on her shoulder.

Just like in middle school, Marinette jumped at the contact.

Adrien’s hand shot away from her, leaving a pang in Marinette’s heart.

“Can we talk?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Marinette took note of the plate of assorted cheeses in his other hand. “Sure.” Her worries from the past few days were suddenly back at the front of her mind and her stomach sank to the floor. He had heard that sleepy confession after all, and he was going to try to let her down gently. At least, she hoped it was gently. Years ago, Cat Noir loved Ladybug, but that was when they were green little superheroes just figuring things out. His feelings couldn't have survived this long. But Adrien was her friend. She just hoped that he would remain her friend even after rejecting her. Marinette swallowed back her fears and put on a brave face. She held up her plate of snacks. "Do you mind if we take this out in the hall?"

He smiled knowingly and looked at his own plate. "Probably a good idea."

* * *

Adrien sat down in the stairwell, Plagg and Tikki on the landing below, far enough away that he and Marinette would have some semblance of privacy. Marinette was a couple of steps below him, watching their kwamis gorge themselves on cheese and sweets. His chest actually hurt. It was just the nerves, but he felt like he couldn’t get a full breath in. Marinette had been acting weirdly the past few days. She wasn't avoiding him, per se, but she seemed to be avoiding being alone with him for very long. She jumped at the slightest touch, and she was watching what she said. He wanted to chalk it up to the end of year stress, but the way she'd reacted just then when he'd touched her shoulder…

It definitely wasn’t his imagination. She must have heard him the other day when he said he loved her, and she didn't know how to turn him down.

He needed to come clean now so that she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Adrien rested his chin in his hand and looked at the midnight pigtails in front of him. She'd grown out her hair a lot lately. It was so cute.

He shook his head. He needed to stop stalling and just get it over with. He'd survived rejection before, and he could do it again. Didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt, though.

"Marinette," Adrien breathed her name, savoring the way it tasted on his tongue once more before he got himself heartbroken.

The way her back stiffened at the sound of her name tore his heart in two.

"W-what's up?" She asked, hesitantly turning to face him. She drew both of her feet up to the same step she was sitting on, wrapping her arms around her knees and bracing her back against the wall.

Adrien tried to keep his posture casual, dropping on hand between his knees. There was only one step separating them, but it felt as though they were miles apart. He cleared his throat, trying to fight the tightness that had settled in there. "The other day in your room," he began.

Marinette buried her face in her knees with a small squeak. "I'm so sorry," Marinette cut in without lifting her head, "I was half asleep and it just came out, and I don't want to make things weird or anything--"  
"What? No, I was just…I was half asleep too, and…wait, what you said?"

Marinette's head popped up to meet his eyes. "Is this not about what I said?"

"I didn't realize…I don't remember what you said, or if you said anything, I just…When we were falling asleep the other day, I was just so comfortable, and being with you was so relaxing. Being with you is always relaxing. And sometimes when I get like that, my feelings just want to come out, and that's what happened the other day. I know that it's not safe for us because we have a job to do protecting the city and our families. And maybe it was the sleep talking when it just came out, but I meant it when I said that I love you."

Marinette squeaked again, a hand coming to her mouth. "I thought I dreamed that."

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I don't want things to be weird between us."

"No! It's not weird, I thought I made things weird with what I said."

"What did you say?"

If it was possible for Marinette to get any redder, she did in that moment. She looked just like Tikki. "I um…I guess I heard you say what you said, and when I heard you say it, I said that I love you, too." She buried her face back into her knees once again.

Adrien couldn't believe what she was saying. He had been so sure that she was going to reject him, but the fact that she was telling him that she loved him, too… It was as if he was having an out of body experience. The next words came out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think about them. "Will you say it again?"

He was leaning closer than he meant to. He was definitely invading her space. He didn’t care.

Marinette peeked a single eye over her arm. “Really?”

By then, Adrien was conscious of his movement. He slid onto the step above Marinette, and put a hand over her elbow, trying to coax her to look at him. “Please. I want to hear you this time.”

He could hear her swallow. She peered at him with a single blue eye. He stared back, putting every ounce of his love for her into his gaze in the hopes that she would understand.

He must have gotten through to her, because once again she lifted her head to look at him dead on. There was a fire in her eyes, a determination like there  always was when she donned her spots. “I love you,” she whispered.

Adrien felt a slight wetness in his eyes. His chest ached once again, but this time it was overflowing with the love he had for this young woman in front of him. “I love you, too.”

Adrien finally loosened her grip on her knees enough to take her hands in his and he did what he’d dreamed of doing since he was fourteen years old. He cupped her cheek and drew her forward until her lips met his.

It was better than a dream. Her lips were feather soft, and she tasted like the chocolate raspberry macarons she brought for the party.

Adrien felt the weight of years of unrequited love lift from his shoulders as he basked in his lady’s kiss.

They would have stayed that way, too, if it weren’t for a flash of light in their peripheral vision.

“Damn it, I told you to turn off the flash!”

The pair jolted apart, but Adrien didn’t let go of her hand. 

Kim, Rose, and Max stood at the top of the stairwell, Rose holding a pink instax camera in one hand and a developing photo in the other. “The flash doesn’t turn off on this camera!” She exclaimed.

“It’s about time something happened between you two,” Kim said, folding his arms. “And now we have photographic evidence of it.”

“Oooh,” Rose cooed, “I’m so happy for you two! This really is the best day ever!”

“Indeed,” Max nodded, “this relationship has been highly anticipated for a long time. Congratulations are definitely in order.”

“How long have you been standing there?!” Adrien nearly shrieked.

Marinette had gone back to hiding her face, and her blush based on the pink tips of her ears.

“Long enough.” Max said.

“Hey did you guys find them yet?” Alya called, coming around the corner from the classroom. “We want to get this class photo done before—“

“Oh we found them alright!” Kim said.

Rose waved the photo in the air. “It was sooo wonderful, Alya! I can’t believe you missed it!”

"What is this?" Alya asked, taking the photo.

Adrien leaned in close to Marinette. "Do you think we should run?"

"I think it's a little too late for that, _Minou_." She responded.

And it definitely was. Alya's shriek of excitement drew out the rest of their classmates. Friends from college and lycee, as well as teachers emerged from the classroom, likely concerned that there might be an akuma attack in the hallway, to find Alya and Rose excitedly jumping in a circle, a blushing Marinette crouching behind a very red Adrien, and Kim and Max standing smugly at the top of the stairwell.

"It finally happened!" Alya shrieked, leaping into Nino's arms and proudly showing off the photo.

The class broke out in an array of excited reactions, from broad smiles, to sighs of relief, some even began clapping.

"It's about time, my dude." Nino said.

"Why do people keep saying that?" Adrien asked.

"Because we've been making bets on this since you transferred to our _college_ class." Kim said.

"By the way," Alya shouted, "a bunch of you owe me ten euros! It's before the end of the day, so I still win! The deal was they'd be together by graduation, and it's graduation day. Pay up, losers!"

* * *

At the first sign of footsteps, Plagg and Tikki had the good sense to hide, and looked on from a light fixture above the action. They watched on in mild amusement as their chosen groaned at their classmates' antics.

"Maybe now he'll stop waxing poetic about his love for your girl," Plagg said.

"I don't know. He and Marinette both are real romantics. I have a feeling this is just the beginning." Tikki said with a fond smile.

Plagg groaned and complained, almost loud enough to draw attention from the crowd below.

What started out as a basic end-of-lycee goodbye party was turning out to be a celebration of one of the most anticipated love stories in Paris. Ivan had Adrien up on one shoulder while Kim held Marinette over his, each of the teenagers looking shell shocked at their friends' enthusiasm.

The class came to a consensus in that moment: there was no better end to their time together in school than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By far the cheesiest chapter end I have ever written. I stand by it.


	6. Goodnight Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is finally being reuploaded!   
> Named for Goodnight Kiss by Jun Hyosung  
> The original intro to this chapter: "It is day 7 of Adrinette Month, and I feel like I have not incorporated enough of the other sides of the love square. Fortunately, Day 7 is Patrol! So I have written some gratuitous LadyNoir for your reading pleasure. There is very little plot in this one. Enjoy!"

Two weeks later and Adrien could not keep his hands to himself. 

It had been two weeks since they confessed their love for each other. Two weeks since they graduated _lycee_ , and two weeks since their first kiss. Ever since, Adrien found himself addicted to Marinette's lips. It was nonstop. Between working at the bakery, when they were on dates, even on patrol. 

The last of which could actually prove to be a problem if he couldn't get himself under control. Unfortunately, not even the threat of an Akuma or Hawkmoth could keep him off of her.

" Chaton , we should be working," Ladybug protested feebly as Cat Noir kissed her neck. He was working his way up to her lips, she knew it. 

"Hmm, the city will be alright on its own for a bit," Cat purred.

"Alley Cat…" Even as she complained, her words lacked heat and she pulled Cat Noir closer. 

She couldn't help but admire how her partner was filling out. The lights of the Eiffel Tower highlighted his muscle definition perfectly. A combination of working out, fencing, and sparring had done him well over the past couple of years. Not to mention the intense work out that came from battling akuma.

Before she could complain again, or try to weakly push him away, Cat Noir found his way to her lips. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes and let herself become overwhelmed by his kisses. It looked like they wouldn't be patrolling that night, and if Ladybug was being perfectly honest, she wasn't too upset by that. She couldn't understand why they waited so long to start doing this. Now that they had started, she felt they had wasted a great deal of time not kissing, and she was pleased to make up for the lost time. 

Ladybug felt a low sound rise in the back of her throat. She felt her partner grin against her lips in response. 

Silly cat was pleased as could be. He clearly knew the effect he had on her. Fortunately, she was also aware of the effect she had on him.  

Ladybug pushed Cat Noir until his back hit the steel bars of the Tower. She ran a gloved hand through his tousled blonde locks. Adrien was always put together, clean cut, and soft edges. Cat Noir, on the other hand, was wild, and undeniably sexy. The fact that this boy, with his wild side and his soft side, was all hers was exhilarating.

Ladybug kissed him long and hard before pulling away, leaving both of them gasping for air. Cat Noir's eyes were glazed over, and his face was flushed. She was sure that she wasn't in much better shape. Cat Noir slid down the bar until he was sitting, and Ladybug followed suit. She tucked herself into his side, and he kissed her on the forehead, then the nose, and another peck on the lips. Then another, and another. 

"If we keep this up, we're never going to patrol," Ladybug pointed out between kisses. 

"I think it's already a bit late for that, My Lady," Cat kissed her once again. "Besides, I can't seem to stop myself."

"Well, if it's just this once, I guess it's okay," Ladybug conceded. 

They spend the remainder of their scheduled patrol time in each other's arms, then stayed out a little longer. 

They only stopped kissing when their lips were swollen and tender to the touch.  

"Speak for yourself, Bug," Cat replied, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, then stretching lazily. "I could keep kissing you  fur ever if you'd let me." He winked at her. 

Ladybug couldn't help her flush. "We didn't even get any patrolling done tonight."

"It's been a quiet night. We can make up for it with an extra patrol tomorrow night, if it would make you feel better."

Their patrols were a formality more than anything. Normally, Ladybug and Cat Noir would go out three times a week, rarely twice in a row. They had started out as an excuse for two fourteen year olds to get out of the house, get used to their abilities, and meet up with their friend/partner. Later they had turned into a quick run around the city, punctuated by practice sparring. Now, it seemed, they were becoming a lover's tryst. 

Ladybug didn't particularly mind spending the time necking with her partner, but if they didn't want it to become the latest headlines, they would need to set up ground rules. Fortunately, Cat Noir was of the same opinion. 

"My father and Nathalie will be suspicious if I walk around with hickies and bruised lips when supposedly I hadn't even seen you that evening," he joked. 

"My parents will, too. Especially if I keep going missing for hours on end." 

While their normal patrol generally took about an hour, all of the kissing had turned that hour into three. Cat Noir sat on his heels and faced Ladybug. 

"So, time limit. We should keep to our normal time on patrol," Cat started the list, holding up one finger.

"Second, we need to keep any PDA out of the press," at Ladybug's suggestion, Cat Noir lifted another finger. "As much as Alya would love to hear about her ship sailing, the public needs to know that we can maintain a professional image."

"Furred ," Cat lifted his third finger and Ladybug rolled her eyes good naturedly, "and I hate to say it, because you know how I love your kisses, Bugaboo, but we need to cap the kissing."

"You're right. No making out. Although, I do motion that we make an exception for a goodnight kiss."

"A goodnight kiss," Cat Noir folded one arm over his chest, and held a hand over his mouth, as if he were pondering the notion, "I could be  purr suaded to accept those terms."

Ladybug rose to her knees to be at his eye level. "What will it take for me to  purr suade you,  Chaton ?" She asked the question with a good idea of the answer already. 

He grinned in his usual, mischievous manner. "We have to seal the deal with one last kiss."

Ladybug smirked. "I surely hope it isn't our last kiss."

"Well, our last kiss on patrol. For tonight. Until we officially say goodnight, at least."

"I suppose I can give you one last kiss, then."

Cat Noir gave her one of his signature grins, biting his bottom lip. It was the same grin he gave her every time he knew he was about to get his way.  He looked like a kid when he got excited like that, and it made her love him even more for it. 

Ladybug placed her hands on his cheeks, and Cat Noir, stilll kneeling, wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her in closer. 

Ladybug pressed her lips to Cat Noir's and let him take over. The kiss was slow, almost lazy, like they were savoring every moment. 

They could kiss one another at any time, but there was something about kissing in the mask that made it that much more special. 

After their "last kiss" they decided to call it a night, since clearly no patrolling was actually going to happen. 

The two checked that the coast was clear before dropping down to Marinette's balcony. Ladybug released her transformation once it was clear that they were in private. 

Tikki phased through the trap door to grab a snack, and to give them some privacy. 

"Well, it's been fun, Princess," Cat said, making as though to take off into the night. "We should do it again sometime."

Marinette grabbed his tail before he was able to get away from her. She smirked at him. "Aren't you forgetting something, Chaton?"

"Forgetting something?" He threw her a sly smile over his shoulder. "Whatever could you mean, Mari?"

She gave him a deadpan look, stuck a hand on her hip, and popped it out to the side.

Cat Noir dropped down from the ledge and prowled around her. Marinette shivered at the look in his eyes, like was a predator and she was his prey. 

"What could I possibly be forgetting," her cat purred, "I can't remember. You'll have to remind me."

He ran a gloved hand over Marinette's bare arm, leaving goosebumps in his path.

"Oh, you've forgotten our deal already?" 

Marinette spun on her heel to face her partner. She booped him on the nose with the tip of her forefinger. "If that's the case, I should get inside. I have class early tomorrow, and need a good night's sleep if I don't want to be late." She slipped around him and meandered towards the trap door. "It's too bad I can't give you a proper goodbye, you being Paris's greatest hero and all."

At that comment, Marinette felt an arm wrap around her waist. She was pulled back against a firm wall of muscle, and she chuckled.

"Do you have something to say to me,  Chaton ?"

He responded with a low purr in her ear and a peck at the base of her neck. "I'm just looking for my official goodnight from My Lady. " 

Marinette smiled and leaned back into his touch for a moment, before turning to face him, and looping her arms around his neck. "I think that can be arranged."

They nuzzled noses together, and Cat Noir matched Marinette's smile just as their lips met. 

They shared a sweet good night kiss as the sun finally set over the horizon.

When finally they separated, Cat Noir kissed her one last time on the tip of her nose. "Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight,  mon minou ."

Marinette waved him off as he lept off the side of the building. She retreated into her bedroom and flopped down on her bed, shoving her reddened face into her pillow.

She couldn't keep the lovesick grin off of her face. She had a feeling no matter how many times he kissed her, she would always get this giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach.


	7. Macarons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally reuploaded! From Adrinette Month 2017 Prompt: Baking

Adrien was focused. He was going to do this, and he was going to do it right.

He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with his arm. He needed to calm down. They were just macarons. How hard could they be?

Very hard, he was discovering. At least for the novice baker that he was. For Marinette, this was a breeze. She had been helping her father make macarons for years. While Adrien was whipping his first batch of egg whites, Marinette was already piping out her cookies. 

"Alright, so now they just set for about three hours," Marinette said, wiping her hands on her apron.

She walked over to where Adrien had begun folding the dry ingredients into the egg whites and peered over his arm. "You're doing really well!"

"We'll see about that," he said, folding the egg whites over one more time. "I feel like I'm already messing this up."

"Well, it's your first time. Don't worry. You'll get better with practice."

Adrien laughed, "You always say that.”

"And I'm always right." Marinette grinned at him and swiped her finger on the tip of his nose, coming away with a small dollop of chocolate buttercream from earlier.  His heart nearly stopped beating in his chest when he watched her lick the smear from her finger. "You did the puff pastry very well last time."

"I felt good about that batch," Adrien told her. He lifted his spatula and watched the batter run down in a ribbon, the way Marinette had shown him. "I'm still nervous about this though."

"All we can do is bake it and see." Marinette gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder and retrieved the pastry bag. 

She filled the bag and settled in front of him, pulling his hands so that they held the bag under hers. He blushed at their position. He was right up against her back in her parent's kitchen. He was just glad they were occupied in the bakery and likely wouldn't be walking in on them any time soon. He wasn't sure if he could survive the embarrassment of being caught in this position. 

"Okay, so now you just tap the tray on the counter a few times to release the air bubbles," Marinette said, giving him a peck on the cheek before untangling herself from his arms. 

Adrien couldn't help the grin on his face. He did as she instructed, not even bothering to stifle his smile.

The past three months dating Marinette had been the best of his life. In that last year of Lycee, he hadn't thought his life could get any better and it all stemmed from that fateful moment when Marinette stepped in between Cat Noir and the onslaught of poisonous vines. But after moving out of the house in preparation for university, and getting closer to Marinette than he ever thought possible, well, he hadn't stopped smiling in weeks. 

Even his father had taken a liking to Marinette after she'd formally met him as Adrien's girlfriend. It had surprisingly even lessened his father's anger when Adrien told him he wanted to step back from modeling a bit over the summer. They had both expected the man to protest and argue, but he had been abnormally accepting of it. When asked what he would do for work instead, Adrien explained that he was interested in taking an apprenticeship under Tom Dupain at the bakery. When Adrien told the Dupain-Chengs that he hadn't actually considered what he wanted to do with his life, they had been quick to offer to help him find it, starting with testing him out in the bakery, since he enjoyed helping out there so much.

Which is how they ended up cuddled on the sofa while they waited for two batches of macarons to set and bake. 

Marinette's head was tucked into Adrien's shoulder, and his arm around her. They were just starting their third movie when the timer for the cookies went off.

"We need to get up," Marinette groaned. "If we don't, the cookies will burn."

Adrien made a noise of displeasure deep in the back of his throat before heaving them both off of the couch. Hating to loose contact with her, he kept his arm around her shoulder until she had to pull away to get the cookies out of the oven. 

Marinette's macarons were perfect, of course. They were a light pink, lightly dusted with cocoa powder. Adrien's were baby blue, only a few shades lighter than His Lady's eyes. 

Once the cookies had cooled, Marinette began to fill her's with the dark chocolate butter cream and raspberry jam they made. Adrien watched her as he finished whipping the white chocolate ganache for his own. Her mother had taught him how to make ganache a few weeks ago, and he was fairly proud of it.

"Your's look good, Adrien," Marinette praised, "See the way they puffed up around the edges? Those are called the feet. They're a good sign."

"Nice. Maybe it's not a total failure, then."

"It won't be a failure no matter what." She batted him on the shoulder in reprimand for the pessimistic thought. 

"Ah, but you underestimate my bad luck, Bugaboo. You'd be surprised how many things I can mess up." 

"Well, hopefully my good luck will cancel things out."

Adrien took the offset spatula and removed his cookies from the parchment paper. Most of the cookies made it out alright, but unfortunately a few crumbled in his hands. Several others broke on the plate. 

"They're just a bit hollow," Marinette said, examining half of a cookie. She shrugged a shoulder and popped the ruined macaron into her mouth. "They taste fine, though." She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You'll get it next time. Here," Marinette picked up one of her finished macarons. Heart-shaped, chocolate raspberry flavored. "Try this one."

She held the macaron up for him to eat, and Adrien realized she could make his heart skip a beat from even the smallest things. He took a bite of the macaron between her fingers. He savored the sweetness of the chocolate, paired with the slightly tart jam in the middle. "You're so great, Marinette. You must cook with magic, I swear."

Marinette giggled. "Not magic,  Chaton . Just a lot of practice, and my father's recipes." 

"Well, whatever it is, I could eat my weight in these macarons." He looped his arms around her neck, and felt her's come to his hips. He kissed the tip of her nose. She tasted like almonds. "I love you, Bugaboo." 

She gave him a peck on the cheek and pressed closer to him in a hug. "I love you, too."


	8. Brighter than the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reuploaded from Adrinette Month Day 10: The Balcony.  
> Named for Brighter than the Sun by Colbie Caillat

April was a wonderful month. The sun was shining for once, and it warmed Marinette through to her core as she sat out on her rooftop garden. Even Tikki was enjoying the warmth, spreading out on a small cushion Marinette had made for her a few years prior. 

As Marinette took a sip of iced tea, she thought how perfect a Sunday afternoon it was. It was almost like nothing could even improve on such a relaxing afternoon.

Of course, there was always a way to improve on a spring afternoon, and the way to improve her's was currently jumping across Parisian rooftops, hollering with exhilaration. Marinette smiled to herself as the streak of black lept closer to her rooftop.

She rose from her chair and approached the wrought iron railings. She leaned over the planter box of roses and put a hand to her mouth. 

"Hey, Cat Noir," Marinette shouted. 

The Cat landed on the building across the street and rose to his full height. He turned to face Marinette's balcony and grinned. She could see the blinding light of his teeth even from that far away. 

He lept into the air and did a triple somersault to her balcony, landing deftly on the railing next to her.

Marinette rolled her eyes. He was such a show off. 

"Good afternoon, princess," Cat Noir drawled, "What are you up to this fine  _cat_ fter noon?"

She grinned at him. "Nothing much. Just enjoying the nice weather. What about you? What are you doing wandering around?"

"I found myself with some _furr_ ee time and thought I should go for a run on such a beautiful day." He ran his hand through his short blonde hair. "It seems it was my good  _fur_ tune to run into you, little lady." He gave her a wink, his green eyes sparkling with mischief. His forehead was slick with a fine sheen of sweat.

Marinette felt her cheeks heat slightly. Suddenly it felt more like summer than spring. "Would you like a glass of chrysanthemum tea? My mom made some this morning. It's the first batch of the season."

Cat Noir swung his legs down the railing and made himself comfortable. "Iced tea sounds wonderful." 

Marinette promised to return quickly, and retreated below her trap door. She returned only moments later with a tall, cold glass of tea and a thick slice of bread with butter. When his eyes fell on the snack, they lit up just like they knew they would.

"You don’t have to feed me every time I stop by, you know." 

She nodded and placed the plate on the table next to him, handing him the glass. "I know, but I like to. My mom always says you're too skinny."

"I have a fast metabolism." He took a bite of the bread and nearly groaned. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, your parents really do make the best bread in all of Paris."

She grinned. "Thank you." She pulled her spool table towards them and sat on the edge of it. The pair sat, talked, and laughed for some time, just enjoying each other's company. Somehow, they wound up sitting together on her lounge chair, staring up at the occasional puffy cloud in the sky above. Marinette was laying half on Cat Noir, her head on his chest. He held onto her, with one arm around her middle. He ran the tips of his fingers over Marinette's bare arms, leaving goosebumps in his path.

"You know," Marinette said, her lips quirking up into a smirk, "We probably shouldn't be doing this."

"And why is that?" He wrapped one arm tighter around her waist.

"Because, I happen to have a boyfriend, you know." 

Cat Noir stifled a laugh. "You do, do you?"

"Mm hm," She sighed and turned her head into the crook of his neck. "I don't know if he'd appreciate me snuggling with someone else, even if that person is a super hero."

Cat leaned his head down and kissed her exposed shoulder, making ladybugs flutter in her stomach. "What's so good about this guy, anyway?"

Marinette's hands came to Cat Noir's arm, lacing her fingers through his. "I don't know. We've been together for a few years. He's a big dork, though. You wouldn't believe how much anime this guy watches. And he makes these lame puns all the time. Plus, he has a bit of a jealous streak."

"He sounds really lame," he grinned, pressing another kiss to her neck, "Maybe you should break up with him and go out with me instead."

"I don't know about that. He can be pretty cool sometimes."

"Cooler than the one and only Cat Noir?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I forgot to mention that he has such an ego. But he has his good points, too."

"Like?"

"Well, he's smart, and brave, and kind. He's great to watch movies with, and we can talk about nothing for hours. Plus, he's a model."

"Oh so you're into models, then?" She could practically hear him smirking through his teasing tone. 

"It's a little hard not to be when they wear the clothes I've made."

"Well, when the designs are as good as your's, I'm sure it’s his pleasure." 

Marinette giggled. She leaned her head back and kissed the underside of his jaw. "What about you, hot stuff? Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"You're right. She happens to be a bit jealous, herself."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, and she's a bit impulsive, too. I wonder what she would do if she found me here with you."

"I wonder," Marinette echoed. 

"Even if she's impulsive and jealous, she's still the most amazing person in this world. She's beautiful, smart, empathetic, and I'm pretty sure she could totally bench press me." 

"Oh, so then it's her muscles you're after, then," she teased. 

"It's everything about her. Sometimes, when I look at her, she's brighter than the sun." Normally Cat Noir was quick with a witty comeback, but the tone of his voice was one of such reverence that Marinette couldn't help but blush. 

He bent down and kissed her on the top of the head. She squeezed his hand in return. 

They laid like that for quite some time in the quiet. Marinette appreciated the time alone with him. Moments like this were nice. She closed her eyes and soaked in the light spring breeze and the warmth of the sun. She thought, if the universe would let her, she would stay like this forever. 

Unfortunately, even being the embodiment of good luck wasn't enough for that. The time eventually came for them to separate. They untangled from each other's arms and Cat Noir perched himself on her railing once again. Marinette looped her arms around his neck, and he placed one hand on her waist. 

"I'll see you soon," she whispered. 

"I'm looking forward to it, Princess."

Marinette leaned in and kissed him long and slow. He still tasted sweet and floral, like chrysanthemum tea. 

When they finally pulled apart from one another, both of their cheeks were tinged pink. Cat Noir gave her his signature grin. "Until next time, Mari." He gave her a two fingered salute before leaping off to the next building over. 

Marinette giggled and leaned her elbows on the railing, watching her favorite person flip and leap into the difference. She couldn't help but think that he was the one who was brighter than the sun.


	9. Dreamscape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reupload from Adrinette Month 2017: Modeling  
> Also one of my favorite prompts from the month.

On a normal July afternoon, most University students would be enjoying their small amount of free time they had over the summer. Unfortunately for Adrien, his entire summer consisted of working overtime for his father's company, even though they had both agreed that Adrien would not be continuing in the fashion industry after university. He had to admit, though, it was good money. Working overtime during the summer ensured that he wouldn't have to work during the semester and would provide a financial safety net to live off of. He would continue to be a quality model for his father's line until he graduated, and then he would finally retire modeling. 

The only plus side was that Adrien's father had taken Marinette under his wing. For the past few years, she had been working as his personal intern. Adrien had his suspicions that she would be named his successor. She had proven herself time and time again to be not only a talented designer, but excellent at time management, organization, and task distribution. She gracefully handled any challenge thrown her way. Watching her work made Adrien fall in love with her even more. Since Marinette was his father's shadow, even during the summer, it meant accompanying him on site to whatever events he attended. Adrien being the company's top model, as well as M. Agreste's son, and this being a major photo shoot for their upcoming fall line, Gabriel was on site attending to any and every issue, with Marinette at his side. 

Adrien watched from the corner of his eye as Marinette hand stitched a torn outfit while Gabriel chewed out the poor staffer who had torn it. He winced. That staffer would not be working with their company again. Once Marinette repaired the damaged garment, nearly seamlessly, she quickly retrieved her tablet--the one Nathalie normally carried around--to continue assisting with his father's checks. 

Adrien returned his full attention to his own shoot, feeling a bit more energized after watching his love bug at work. 

Suddenly, Adrien's shoot came screeching to a halt as his father's voice boomed through the warehouse. Adrien relaxed his posture and ignored the yelling. He glanced in his father's direction to see him shouting into his cellphone. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before continuing in more calm, quieter tone. After hanging up, Adrien watched his father turn to Marinette and pass her a few papers. She nodded frantically and waved him off as he walked away. 

Once M. Agreste left the building, the photographer called Adrien's attention back once again. 

"There is something missing," The photographer--Raoul-- said, "Where is Collette?" 

Adrien shrugged, "I haven't seen her all day."

Raoul spun around dramatically asking if anyone had seen Collette. He was always a very excitable photographer. 

Marinette and Nathalie approached the photographer briskly once they caught wind of the issue. 

"What seems to be the problem?" Nathalie asked.

"I cannot continue this shoot without a female model…"

Adrien tuned out the photographer's complaints. He was getting bored, and just wanted off of this set so that he could go back to his apartment and cuddle with his girlfriend. 

He caught Marinette's eye while Nathalie was distracted and winked at her.

As expected, Marinette's cheeks reddened and she stuck her tongue out at him. It really stroked his ego that he was still able to make her blush all these years later. Holding eye contact with her, he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, earning him a very exaggerated eye roll.

"…just have to use a stand in model." Raoul threw his arm in the air in an exasperated manner.

"We do not have any other models on site with Collette's measurements," Nathalie said, scrolling on her tablet, presumably through the list of the day's models.  "All of the garments were tailored to her body type."

"What about Mademoiselle right here?" 

Marinette's head whipped up, and Adrien turned towards Raoul. 

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng is nearly the same size as Collette. A couple centimeters shorter, but comparable." Nathalie turned her serious gaze to assess Marinette's stature. "Are you comfortable with this?"

Marinette opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally answering, "Yes! Yes, I can do this."

"M. Adrien," Raoul shouted, "We have had a change in plans. You will model with Mlle. Marinette instead."

Adrien instantly perked up. This is not how he expected his day to go.

* * *

 

To say Marinette was nervous would be an understatement.  

It was her second year officially interning for M. Agreste, and her fourth shadowing him in the company. She could handle any order he barked out at her, any demand with ease. However, she had not expected to be stepping in front of the camera when she got up that day. She knew they needed to finish Adrien's shoot ASAP, so she had agreed, but she wasn't sure she had known quite what she'd been signing up for. 

Adrien stood by while the stylists pulled at her hair and applied her makeup.

"You'll do fine, stop worrying," Adrien reassured her. He ran a hand through his hair and crossed his arms over his chest.

His hair was coiffed back, with a few strands falling over his brow. He wore a white button down with the sleeves rolled halfway up his arms, his jacket pulled off to be re-pressed before the shoot. She was furious that he always looked so good. 

"I'm just not usually the one in front of the camera," Marinette said. 

"Really? Because I seem to recall a few times you've been faced with the press and handled it just  _purr_ fectly." Adrien winked at her.

Marinette flushed at his insinuation. "That's a very different situation."

"Mmm, I don't think it was." 

Marinette felt her head get tugged back as the stylist started on another braid. "Okay, then, Monsieur Agreste, what do you propose I do to handle this situation purrfectly?"

Adrien's eyes sparkled with mirth. He loved it when she punned.  "You just have to channel that same confidence, My Lady," he used the nickname very deliberately, "You're the same person, so why shouldn't you have that same confidence in front of the camera?"

Marinette took a deep breath. "You're right. I can do this." 

Adrien smiled broadly. "I know you can. Don't forget that I'll be with you the whole time. Just focus on me."

Marinette barked a laugh. "You think that's going to make it easier? This is literally your job. I had your photos on my wall when I was fourteen." 

"And I love you for that, but I'm also your alley cat."

Marinette pouted, "Alright, I'll focus on doing this, just you and me."

"Great."

"M. Agreste," one of the stylists said, "We should do a touch up before you return to the set."

"Alright," Adrien pushed away from the counter and gave Marinette a wink before following the stylist to the men's dressing room.

Marinette sat back in the chair and closed her eyes to let the stylist apply her eye makeup.

* * *

 

The shoot had several female outfits, which meant they'd be on set for at least another three hours. While normally Adrien would be bored or indifferent towards the ordeal, but the thought of modeling with Marinette was exhilarating. He was on standby on set while she finished getting dressed.  

Adrien put his embroidered jacket on once again and watched the techs adjust the lights. He couldn't be happier with the theme of the shoot. "Dreamscape" was the perfect theme for Marinette's first photo shoot. Marinette herself was like a beautiful dream. He couldn't imagine a better setting. 

His stylist was applying the final layer of setting powder when Marinette finally emerged. Adrien had seen Marinette dressed up before, but every time he was struck by how stunning she looked. 

Today she wore one of his favorite designs from the collection. It was made to compliment Adrien's jacket exactly. It was a simple, classic silhouette with an a-line skirt and a sweetheart neckline. Her sleeves fell off the shoulder. Rather than being one single piece, she wore a crop top and high-waisted skirt in dark blue, featuring silver peonies embroidered into the skirt. She had on a pair of silver six inch strappy heels, and her hair was up with braids leading up to a thick bun. She had a dark blue smokey eye and jet back winged eyeliner on her top lid, and silver liner on her bottom. 

Adrien had never seen her lips so glossy and red, like a bright, ripe cherry. 

He wanted to kiss her. 

Marinette approached the set. Adrien couldn't figure out how to close his mouth. 

"Shit."

Marinette's eyes widened at the expletive. "Goodness, Alley Cat, watch your language, we are at work!" The edge from the reprimand was lessened by the laughter in her voice. 

Adrien snaked a hand around her back, "can it really be considered work if I'm having so much fun?"

He moved to kiss her on the nose, but the photographer interrupted them before he could make the move.

"Come now, love birds, let's get shooting." Raoul clapped his hands twice to catch their attention, and the two jumped apart. "Save the romance for the camera."

Adrien took Marinette by the hand and guided her to the set. “Just focus on us.”

The photographer positioned them at different levels at first, having Marinette seated below, with Adrien standing above her to the left. They took a few shots from those levels before switching. Adrien knelt below Marinette in a way that felt very LadyNoir. He took her hand in his and kissed her on the back of her knuckles the way he did when they were just kids. He missed the habit, Adrien thought, he might bring it back. Based on the way Marinette's eyes sparkled, he thought she might enjoy the comeback as well. 

Adrien found he wanted to touch her more, and prayed for the photographer to direct them to change their position once more.

After what felt like a century of itching to touch His Lady, Adrien got his wish.

* * *

In order to show off the back of the ensemble, and to evoke the appropriate amount of intimacy for the campaign, Marinette was instructed to turn her back 3/4 to the camera. Adrien placed his hand at the small of Marinette's back and she rested both of her hands on his pectorals. She peered over her shoulder at the camera, but Adrien didn’t take his eyes off of her. As terrified as she said she was of the camera, she seemed to flourish under them.

"Maybe you should transition into modeling. You're a natural," Adrien whispered into her ear. 

"After listening to you complain about it for nearly seven years? Not likely. I will stick to design, thank you very much."

"But Bugaboo, you could be the next top model of all of France."

"I don't think I'm quite tall enough for that. I appreciate your confidence in me, though."

Marinette gazed into Adrien's eyes, and for a moment they forgot the flashing cameras and hot lights. For a moment, they were just two people, in a dreamscape, in love. They were lost to the rest of the world. 

In that moment, Adrien finally took what he wanted. He captured her lips in his. He missed the rapid flash of the camera attempting to immortalize the moment. He was lost in happiness with the most beautiful girl in the world.

* * *

 

Their photo shoot didn't just make it into magazines. The marketing team had fallen in love with Marinette and Adrien's on camera chemistry and used their joint images as the promotional photos for the entire line. Marinette started getting calls from modeling agencies left and right when it came out that she was unrepresented. She turned them all down, of course. She was happy with what she was doing. All in all, the attention didn't really bother her.

That is, until the billboard went up.

There it was, right across the street from Marinette's university. The backsplash of the ad was the now infamous kiss image from the photoshoot. The front overlay was a close up of herself and Adrien post-kiss. Her eyes were still hazy from the kiss, and Adrien's were heated as he stared into the camera, red lipstick smeared across his lips. 

The image was sexy, heated, and embarrassing beyond belief. 

Despite their propensity to show their affection in public, their relationship had never been the focus of the press. Most of Adrien's fans had no idea that he was in a relationship, which suited Marinette just fine. As Adrien had pointed out, she got enough attention as Ladybug. The release of this ad-campaign, with this billboard in particular, though, unleashed the floodgates. Now the entirety of France, and the world fashion industry knew that Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng were dating. 

Even with the new bombardment of publicity, though, Marinette and Adrien couldn't bring themselves to mind. Marinette got a bit more attention from her classmates, not 100% positive. Some of Adrien’s fan girls gave her scathing looks. Her professors looked on her with suspicion, and she was occasionally accused of riding coattails to get her internship. They weren’t totally wrong on that last bit. Even Marinette had hesitated taking an official position under M. Agreste. Though she knew he was not a biased man, and that he wouldn’t go easy on her. Besides, prestigious internships were hard and few to come by. If she sincerely wanted to make it in this industry, she had to take what she could get, no matter how they came her way. 

Having their relationship out in the open proved to be a relief to Marinette and Adrien. Even with the extra attention, they found comfort in one another. They no longer avoided paparazzi, and they declared their love proudly for all of France to see.


End file.
